This is as real as it gets because, well,it’s for real.

Students need real-world experience. Clients need great ideas without heavy investment. Welcome to the new model of education. We bring together clients with real business/marketing problems into our class, where students are briefed on the assignment. During the course, students create strategic solutions under the guidance of their instructors. Instructors will also coach students in the all-important presentation skills of face to face meetings. On the last night of class, students present their solution(s) to the client in person, where the winning student(s) may actually get a professional fee from the client, not to mention the real possibility of getting their work produced.

If you are a company in need of smart thinking and ideas, feel free to contact us.

Austin’s Alamo Drafthouse has always embraced a quirky, sometimes naughty edge. What other theater chain would host events like Horror Tuesdays, Air Guitar and Air Sex? But what happens when the theater chain’s newest location is set to open in Mueller Park, one of Austin’s most family-oriented developments? Students helped position the Mueller location as a family-friendly theater, without losing sight of the distinctly fun and off-center Alamo Drafthouse personality.

Wild West Films

Director Britt West wanted a logo that both encapsulated his name and his love of the outdoors. Steering clearof cliched imagery associated with westerns and cowboys, this elegant solution was the final result.

The Writers’ League of Texas

In the competitive world of publishing, writers have a slim chance of getting their work read by publishers without the help of a literary agent. The annual Writers' League of Texas Agents' Conference connects local writers with literary agents and editors from across the country. The group needed a program cover and image to be used across various promotional materials.

Primal 7

Fitness equipment maker Primal 7 came to us for big thinking. With the fitness market flooded with competitors, Primal 7 needed to separate themselves from the rest of the category.

Retired pro football player and Primal 7 co-founder Brian DeMarco’s story is one of tragedy and ultimately, triumph. A career-ending spinal injury on the field left Brian with years of debilitating pain, financial ruinand despair. Through sheer determination and the desire to walk unassisted, Brian developed a crude suspension system of bands to rehabilitate himself. These bands would eventually become the prototypefor the Primal 7 system.

Inspired by Brian’s story, students developed an entire campaign of work with their insight that fitnessis more than something physically it has the power to redefine you as a person. This led to the resulting tagline and cornerstone of the campaign: Primal 7. Define Yourself.

When the student becomes the client

Victor AbiJaoudi was a student who was instrumental in bringing the Primal 7 campaign to life. From his insightful ideas to the presentation of the campaign, Victor’s passion impressed Brian so much that whenthe course ended, Brian hired Victor to work on more projects, ranging from signage to other marketing initiatives. A few months later, Victor joined Primal 7 full-time as the head of marketing. But that role didn’t quite align with Victor’s potential, so months later, Brian reassigned Victor to another role at Primal 7: CEO.

Victor’s journey with The Austin Creative Department and Primal 7 is a true testament to a studentnot only creating great work and succeeding but in defining himself.

"ACD is exactly what you make it. There are no boxes, lines or categories. Problem solving is problem solving.To this day, I use the techniques that were drilled intomy brain for far more than generating marketing ideas.I may have gone into ACD thinking about ads, butI came out with a new perspective on communicationand a desire to put heart into every solution."

The Baby Kitchen

This small Austin start up came to us in need of a strong rebranding for their logo. The strategy was simple: design a logo that communicated fresh baby food. This was the winning logo that was selected by the client but that ultimately was never used. The client instead took the advice of friends and kept their original logo. The lesson to students: You can present the best and smartest work, but it doesn’t mean it will get produced, even when approved.

X-Train Fitness

X-Train is more than a gym. It’s a community bound by camaraderie and the drive to constantly improve oneself. This winning logo was inspired by military chevrons, which X-Trainers can continually add bars to as they reach each of the four physical milestones of X-Train’s program. The logo system acts as both a symbol of community along with a fun level of competition among members with the ranking aspect of the logo.

The Austin Police Department and neighborhood of West Enfield

The West Enfield neighborhood in Austin was experiencing a large number of break-ins and the AustinPolice Department discovered that this was due to solicitors surveying homes, then passing on informationto burglars. Unfortunately, there was nothing the APD could do, as there are no specific laws prohibiting solicitation.

ACD students created a simple solution to the problem: reimagine the idea of the neighborhood watch sign (which had long proven ineffective). Residents were instructed to take a picture of any solicitors and the image would then be shared among neighbors as well as the APD. Bold signage was printed and distributed amongst the local residents. The results: There has been a huge drop in the number of solicitations and zero reported burglaries since the posting of the new signs.

BAM Academy

The BAM Academy needed a new corporate identity and tagline to help define their gym. The strategy wasto communicate acrobatic movement in a way that felt bold yet refined. The logo and resulting tagline"Strength Through Movement" helped to define BAM Academy as the preeminent parkour facility in America.

"You only get one chanceto make a first impression. Creating a logo that’s timeless in design requires thoughtful consideration. Through their discovery process, students gained insight into whatI hoped to convey in a logo. This same process also helped me in clearly defining a vision for my company. I entrustedthe team at The Austin Creative Department to dofor me what they do best andI couldn’t be happier withthe results."

Britt WestDirectorWild West Films

"We needed a poster anda program cover for our annual Agents & Editors Conference and The Austin Creative Department saved the dayby giving us two designs that were conceptually strong and visually stunning. Countless conference attendees commented on how much they loved the program cover."

Sara KocekAuthorFormer Executive Director,Writers’ League of Texas

"I had the pleasure of working with The Austin Creative Department at a critical juncture of our new company. They listened to the soul of who we really are and through their creative process the team found our voice. Their dedicationto details and passion to produce excellence even led usto bringing one of their very own team members (Victor AbiJaoudi) on as Presidentand CEO. In my mind thereis no better way to say theyare focused on the visionof the client."

Final presentations toX-Train Fitness. Mirroring the agency world, final presentations to clientsare done in person, where students present their own work. Instructors playa Creative Director role during the course, guiding the creative process and coaching students on presentation skills.